A groundbreaking architectural installation called the Puddle Pavilion has been completed in Bondurant, Iowa, showcasing an innovative construction technique that captures the natural flow of liquids in permanent form. Created by design studio i/thee and led by Neal Lucas Hitch, the free-form canopy is made entirely from algae-based bio-resin that was cast directly on the ground without any traditional formwork, resulting in a unique structure that appears to float above Mud Creek just outside Des Moines.

The pavilion was constructed through what the design team calls "Action Architecture," an additive process where algae-based resin was poured, splattered, and flung onto the floor surface. The material was then left to settle naturally according to principles of fluid dynamics, allowing gravity, surface tension, and environmental factors like temperature and wind speed to determine the final form. Once solidified, the organic shapes were suspended on custom-fabricated slender steel columns, creating the impression of a solidified resin river frozen in time.

According to designer Neal Lucas Hitch, the project represents a literal approach to form-making rather than metaphorical representation. "With the Puddle Pavilion, we were interested in achieving formal literalism. Where other architects and artists have sought to create works like or as a flowing river, we aimed to sculpt a piece by literally capturing the ephemeral beauty of moving liquid frozen in time," Hitch explained. "The Puddle Pavilion is not a metaphor: it is not like a puddle, but rather it is a puddle, made by carefully poured layers of algae-based resin, left to find their own forms under the influence of natural forces."

The installation serves as the second piece of infrastructure in an ongoing art implementation masterplan that i/thee has designed for the City of Bondurant. It follows The Dining Room, completed in 2024 as a set of intentionally eroded rammed-earth walls, and will be followed by The Garden in 2026, planned as a meandering fractal boardwalk. Positioned as a canopy at the Eagle Park entrance to Mud Creek, the pavilion is designed to encourage visitors to pause and engage more deeply with the local ecosystem.

The design philosophy behind the project embodies what i/thee calls "Abstract Realism," which the team describes as an oxymoronic concept that is abstract in being non-figurative and non-compositional, yet realistic in being non-representational and non-symbolic. The structure was sculpted through direct participation with natural forces rather than imposed through traditional architectural planning methods. The semi-transparent resin allows sunlight to filter through its edges while creating openings that frame views of the surrounding sky and clouds.

The pavilion's unique construction method represents a departure from conventional architectural practice, where design typically follows predetermined plans. Instead, this project emerged through what Hitch describes as "a dynamic dance in which design is conceived as a negotiation, through the participation of architects, builders, and the natural environment working together in symbiosis." The result is a structure that appears to merge seamlessly with its surroundings, casting shade for visitors below while creating an artistic landmark that celebrates the intrinsic beauty of natural phenomena and fluid motion.